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It’s been a topsy-turvy week for markets. After a long stretch of relative calm, this week saw the highest volatility since April. Headlines swung from renewed trade tensions between the US and China to strong earnings from major banks, followed by renewed jitters around US regional lenders.

What moved markets over the quarter? Resilient economic data and the easing of trade tensions helped push global equity markets upwards in the third quarter of 2025. Central banks cutting interest rates, or signalling their intention to lower rates, was another theme that supported equity markets.

Markets this week were shaped by politics, as leadership upheavals in France and Japan produced contrasting investor reactions, reflecting the differing economic and policy implications.

Bonds are one of the most fundamental building blocks of investing. We cover what they are and the main types of bonds worth knowing.

Much of the US stock market gains over the past couple of years have been driven by the tech giants – Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, NVIDIA and Tesla, collectively known as the “Magnificent Seven”.

The US government officially entered a shutdown on 1st October after lawmakers were unable to agree on new funding for the fiscal year. While the headlines can sound dramatic, the reality is often more muted.